大象传媒

Anns an leabhar aige Beatha agus Iompachadh Dh霉ghaill Bhochanain, tha D霉ghall ag innse dhuinn gun robh e teagmhach mun chreideamh aige nuair a bha e eadar naoi bliadhna is dusan bliadhna a dh鈥檃ois. Tha e a鈥� sgr矛obhadh gur e S脿tan a bha ag obair air. Dh脿san, b鈥� e rathad an Tighearna am fuasgladh. Mu na l脿ithean tr脿tha aige, tha e a鈥� sgr矛obhadh nach robh e 鈥渦mhail do ghuth an Tighearna鈥� agus gun robh e 鈥渘am chiontach bho bhroinn mo mh脿thar鈥�.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Thogadh D霉ghall ann an teaghlach diadhaidh. Bha athair na mhuillear agus na thuathanach. Bha a mh脿thair uabhasach diadhaidh. Mar a dh鈥檌nns mi dhuibh an t-seachdain sa chaidh, chaochail i nuair a bha D霉ghall sia bliadhna a dh鈥檃ois. Nuair a r脿inig e aois dusan bliadhna, fhuair D霉ghall obair le teaghlach eile. Bha e a鈥� teagasg leughadh don chloinn aca.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Cha robh sin furasta, ge-t脿. Seo tuairisgeul aig D霉ghall dhiubh: 鈥淏ha an teaghlach seo s貌nraichte airson gach se貌rsa aingidheachd a chur an gn矛omh, gach aon dhiubh a鈥� toirt b脿rr air a ch猫ile ann am mallachadh 鈥檚 am mionnan 鈥檚 an dubhailcean eile, ach bean an taighe na h-aonar...鈥� Dh鈥檉huirich D霉ghall c貌mhla riutha airson c貌ig m矛osan. Thog e fh猫in droch chainnt bhuapa!

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Thachair rud annasach dha nuair a bha e c貌mhla riutha. Oidhche Sh脿baid gheamhraidh a bha seo, bha bean an taighe a鈥� bruidhinn mu latha a鈥� bhreitheanais. Thuirt i gun tigeadh e air oidhche Sh脿baid anns a鈥� gheamhradh. Mun tigeadh Cr矛osd, bhiodh t脿irneanaich is frasan de chlachan-meallain ann.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Air an oidhche sin fh猫in, th脿inig stoirm mh貌r. 鈥淏ha na h-uinneagan fosgailte,鈥� tha D霉ghall a鈥� sgr矛obhadh, 鈥渁gus thaom na clachan-meallain a-steach don t-se貌mar. Chrith mi le eagal 鈥� oir th脿inig gach n矛 gu cr矛ch a r猫ir a鈥� chunntais a thug bean an taighe dhuinn air latha a鈥� bhreitheanais air t霉s na h-oidhche鈥�.[Bha mi dhen bharail] gum b鈥� e an latha deireannach a bh鈥� ann da-r矛readh.鈥�

In his book The Life and Conversion of Dugald Buchanan, Dugald tells us that he was dubious about his religion when he was between nine and twelve years of age. He writes that Satan was working on him. For him, the way of the Lord was the solution. About his early days, he writes that he wasn鈥檛 鈥渙bedient to the voice of the Lord鈥� and that he had been a 鈥渟inner since he had been in his mother鈥檚 womb鈥�.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Dugald was raised in a pious family. His father was a miller and a farmer. His mother was extremely pious. As I told you last week, she died when Dugald was six years old. When he reached twelve years of age, Dugald got work with another family. He was teaching their children to read.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 That wasn鈥檛 easy, however. Here鈥檚 a description that Dugald made of them: 鈥淭his family was special for enacting every form of wickedness, each one of them outdoing the others in cursing and swearing and other vices, except for the woman of the house...鈥� Dugald stayed with them for five months. He himself learned bad language from them!

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 A strange thing happened to him when he was with them. On a particular winter Sabbath night, the woman of the house was speaking about the day of judgment. She said it would come on a Sabbath night in winter. Before Christ came, there would be lightning and showers of hail.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 On that very night, a big storm came. 鈥淭he windows were open,鈥� Dugald writes, 鈥渁nd the hailstones poured into the room. I shook with fear ... because everything came into being according to the account that the woman of the house had given [gave] us on the day of judgment at the beginning of the night... [I reckoned] that it really was the final day.